Semiconductor device and information processing method

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device capable of performing filter processing while suppressing an increase in processing time is provided. The semiconductor device includes a microcontroller. The microcontroller comprises a CPU, a memory and a CAN-controller. The memory stores software. The CPU executes the software stored in the memory. The CAN controller is configured to add label information to the message information. The CAN routing software stored in the memory implements a filtering function for performing a filter processing for determining whether or not to route the message information by using the label information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application. No. 2018-108541 filed onJun. 6, 2018 including the specification, drawings and abstract isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and aninformation processing method.

Data is transmitted and received between in-vehicle devices such as ECUs(Electronic Control Unit) connected to in-vehicle networks. As acommunication standard of the in-vehicle networks, for example, CAN(Controller Area Network) is known. As a standard for specifying thesoftware structure of an in-vehicle device, for example, AUTOSAR(AUTomotive Open System Architecture) is available. In connection withthis technique, Japanese unexamined Patent Application publication2017-091214 and Japanese unexamined Patent Application publication2017-105362 disclose an apparatus having a software structure inaccordance with the AUTOSAR.

SUMMARY

When data is transmitted and received between in-vehicle devices, afilter processing for determining whether or not data is to betransferred (routed) may be performed. If the filtering function is notspecified in a standard that defines the software configuration of anin-vehicle device such as AUTOSAR, the filter processing needs to beperformed by software (application) incorporated in the applicationlayers. However, in such a configuration, the processing time requiredfor the filter processing may be increased.

Other Problems and novel features will become apparent from thedescription of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

According to one embodiment, the semiconductor device is a semiconductordevice having a storage circuit for storing software, at least oneprocessing circuit for executing the software, and a controllerconfigured to add additional information to message information receivedfrom an in-vehicle network, wherein the software implements a filteringfunction for performing a filter processing for determining whether ornot to route the message information output from the controller usingthe additional information.

According to one embodiment, the semiconductor device includes a storagecircuit for storing software, at least one processing circuit forexecuting the software, and a controller configured to add additionalinformation to message information received from an in-vehicle network,the software includes an application for executing processingindependent of a microcontroller configuring the semiconductor device,and basic software for making the application independent of themicrocontroller, and the basic software implements a filtering functionfor performing filter processing for determining whether or not to routethe message information output from the controller using the additionalinformation in a network interface provided in a layer abstractinghardware of the semiconductor device for enabling use of a protocoldefining the in-vehicle network.

According to one embodiment, the information processing method is aninformation processing method for adding additional information tomessage information received from an in-vehicle network, and using theadditional information, performing filter processing for determiningwhether or not to route the message information.

According to the above embodiment, it is possible to provide asemiconductor device and an information processing method capable ofperforming filter processing while suppressing an increase in processingtime.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a semiconductordevice according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating CAN routing software according to thefirst embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of asemiconductor device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a routing processperformed by a semiconductor device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a detail of a filter processingfunction of a semiconductor device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a reception rule table according to thefirst embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a payload filter table according to thefirst embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an information processing methodperformed by a semiconductor device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an information processing methodperformed by a semiconductor device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a first comparative example.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a second comparative example.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a semiconductordevice according to a second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Forclarity of explanation, the following description and drawings areappropriately omitted and simplified. In the drawings, the same elementsare denoted by the same reference numerals, and a repetitive descriptionthereof is omitted as necessary.

In the following embodiments, when it is necessary for convenience, thedescription will be made by dividing into a plurality of sections orembodiments, but except for the case where it is specifically specified,they are not independent of each other, and one of them is related tosome or all of modifications, applications, detailed description,supplementary description, and the like of the other. In the followingembodiments, the number of elements, etc. (including the number ofelements, numerical values, quantities, ranges, etc.) is not limited tothe specific number, but may be not less than or not more than to thespecific number, except for cases where the number is specificallyindicated and is clearly limited to the specific number in principle.

Furthermore, in the following embodiments, the constituent elements(including the operation steps and the like) are not necessarilyessential except in the case where they are specifically specified andthe case where they are considered to be obviously essential inprinciple. Similarly, in the following embodiments, when referring tothe shapes, positional relationships, and the like of components and thelike, it is assumed that shapes and the like substantially approximateto or similar to the shapes and the like are included, except for thecase in which they are specifically specified and the case in which theyare considered not to be so obviously in principle, and the like. Thesame applies to the above-mentioned numbers and the like, including thenumber, the numerical value, the amount, the range, and the like.

In addition, the respective elements described in the drawings asfunctional blocks for performing various processes can be configured bya CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and other circuits in termsof hardware, and are realized by programs loaded in the memory in termsof software. Therefore, it is understood by those skilled in the artthat these functional blocks can be realized in various forms byhardware alone, software alone, or a combination thereof, and thepresent invention is not limited to any of them.

Outline of Embodiment

In an in-vehicle network, communication using the CAN protocol is mainlyused for data exchange in a control system. A component having afunction of relaying the CAN communication data to each connected deviceis called a gateway. In response to new technologies such as automaticdriving, the number of channels of CAN communication handled by thisgateway tends to increase, the amount of communication used tends toincrease, and the demand for communication performance becomes morestringent. On the other hand, as a standard for determining a softwareconfiguration for controlling the CAN communication, there is AUTOSAR,and in many cases, software is implemented in a form conforming to thestandard of the AUTOSAR. When a function that is not standardized byAUTOSAR is to be realized as a function on gateways, the software needsto be implemented as an application higher than the AUTOSAR software(basic software and RTE described later). Due to the recent increase insecurity-related demands and the like, filtering functions that are notstandardized by AUTOSAR are increasingly required as functions ofgateways. However, when implemented as an application, the communicationis performed through AUTOSAR software, so that the communication delaybecomes large, and it becomes impossible to withstand the stringency ofrecent communication performance requirements. In such a situation,there is a demand for a technique of performing CAN filter processing athigher speed.

In addition, the microcontroller has a hardware routing function forchecking the identifier (ID) of the received CAN message, distributingthe message according to whether or not the message is appropriate, andpassing the distributed data to the software. The microcontroller has afunction of adding a label (additional information) to the data to betransferred to the software at the time of distributing the message.However, according to the AUTOSAR standard, message data conforming tothe CAN protocol is processed into a structure differing from a datastructure at the time of message reception in a layer higher than thePDUR (PDU (Protocol Data Unit) Router) (see FIG. 2 described later).Therefore, the additional data added to the data by the hardwarefunction of the microcontroller is lost in the component higher than thePDUR. Therefore, it is difficult to improve the efficiency of thesoftware processing. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, asdescribed below, the CAN filter processing is performed at high speed byusing the function of the microcontroller.

First Embodiment

Next, a first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showinga hardware configuration of a semiconductor device 1 according to thefirst embodiment. The semiconductor device 1 is an ECU mounted on avehicle and used for controlling the vehicle. The semiconductor device 1is connected to an in-vehicle network to which a plurality of in-vehicledevices is connected. The in-vehicle network is based on, for example,CAN, but is not limited thereto. In the example shown in the firstembodiment, it is assumed that the in-vehicle network conforms to CAN.

The semiconductor device 1 is, for example, a gateway that transfers CANcommunication data transmitted and received by communication using CANto another in-vehicle device, but the semiconductor device 1 is notlimited to a gateway. The semiconductor device 1 includes amicrocontroller 2. The microcontroller 2 comprises at least one CPU 4which is a processor circuit, a memory 6 which is a memory circuit, achannel interface 8 and a CAN-controller 10. The memory 6 storessoftware. The CPU 4 executes the software stored in the memory 6. Thechannel interface 8 realizes an interface with a plurality of channelsof the CAN.

The CAN controller 10 is a hardware component that executes routingprocessing for transferring CAN communication data conforming to the CANprotocol to other in-vehicle devices. The CAN controller 10 implements ahardware routing function. Specifically, the CAN controller 10distributes the message information received from the CAN according to apredetermined reception rule. Here, the message information is CANcommunication data. Then, the CAN controller 10 performs a filterprocessing for transferring (routing) the message information by usingthe identifier (ID) of the message information. Further, the CANcontroller 10 is configured to add label information, which isadditional information, to the message information. Details will bedescribed later.

The memory 6 stores CAN routing software 100. In the first embodiment,the CAN routing software 100 has a hierarchical software structure toconform to the AUTOSAR standard. It should be noted that the CAN-routingsoftware 100 is not limited to being compliant with the AUTOSAR. The CANrouting software 100 is software for executing a routing process fortransferring (relaying) CAN communication data (message information)output from the CAN controller 10 to another in-vehicle device. Here,the CAN routing software 100 implements a filtering function forperforming a filter processing for determining whether or not to routethe message information by using the label information (additionalinformation). Details will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing CAN routing software 100 according to thefirst embodiment. The CAN-routing software 100 comprises amicrocontroller abstraction layer 101, an ECU abstraction layer 102, aservices layer 103, an RTE (Runtime Environment) 104, and an applicationlayer 105. Here, at least the microcontroller abstraction layer 101, theECU abstraction layer 102, and the service layer 103 constitute basicsoftware 110.

The application layer 105 includes an application 115 that executes aprocess independent of the microcontroller 2. The Basic Software (BSW)110 processes to make the application 115 be independent of themicrocontroller 2.

The microcontroller abstraction layer (MCAL) 101 is an upper layer ofthe microcontroller 2. The microcontroller abstraction layer 101abstracts the microcontroller 2. That is, the microcontrollerabstraction layer 101 is dependent on the microcontroller 2, but makesits upper layers independent on the microcontroller 2. Themicrocontroller abstraction layer 101 is a software module that directlyaccesses a peripheral device incorporated in the microcontroller 2 or anexternal device mapped to the memory 6. Here, the microcontrollerabstraction layer 101 has a CAN driver 111. The CAN driver 111 is acomponent that handles the CAN protocol.

The ECU abstraction layer 102 is an upper layer of the microcontrollerabstraction layer 101. The ECU abstraction layer 102 abstracts hardwarecomponents of the semiconductor device 1. That is, although the ECUabstraction layer 102 depends on the hardware of the semiconductordevice 1, the upper layer is not dependent on the hardware of thesemiconductor device 1. The ECU abstraction layer 102 provides aninterface with the microcontroller abstraction layer 101. Here, the ECUabstraction layer 102 includes a CAN interface 112 (CAN IF). The CANinterface 112 is a component serving as a network interface thatprovides an interface for using the CAN protocol to an upper layer. Thatis, the CAN interface 112 is a component for enabling a protocoldefining a CAN to be used. Here, in the first embodiment, as describedlater, the CAN interface 112 has a function of performing a filterprocessing.

The Services Layer 103 is an upper layer of the ECU abstraction layer102. The service layer 103 includes operating system functions. Theservice layer 103 provides basic services and basic software modules forthe application 115. The service layer 103 includes a PDU router 113(PDUR) and a communication unit 114 (COM unit). The PDU router 113 has afunction of routing a PDU (Protocol Data Unit). The communication unit114 has a function of providing a data communication function with otherin-vehicle equipments to the RTE104.

The RTE (Runtime Environment) 104 is an upper layer of the basicsoftware 110 composed of the above-described layers. The RTE 104 makesthe application 115 independent of the semiconductor device 1. The RTE104 provides communication for the application 115.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of thesemiconductor device 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown inFIG. 3, the semiconductor device 1 includes a microcontroller 2 and CANrouting software 100. In FIG. 3, for convenience, the microcontroller 2and the CAN routing software 100 are shown separately. However, inpractice, as described above, the CAN-routing software 100 is stored inthe memory 6 provided in the microcontroller 2 and executed by the CPU4.

As described above, the CAN routing software 100 includes the CAN driver111, the CAN interface 112, and the PDU router 113. The CAN interface112 includes a filter processing unit 120. The filter processing unit120 performs filter processing for routing message information by usingthe function of the CAN controller 10. Specifically, the filterprocessing unit 120 implements a filter processing function forperforming filter processing for determining whether or not to route themessage information output from the CAN controller 10, using the labelinformation (additional information) added by the CAN controller 10.That is, in the first embodiment, the filtering function is implementedin the CAN interface 112.

The filter processing unit 120 includes an interface unit 122 and ananalyzing unit 130. The interface unit 122 has a function providingcooperation between a hardware routing function by the CAN controller 10and the CAN routing software 100. Specifically, the interface unit 122extracts the label information added by the CAN controller 10 from themessage information received from the CAN controller 10. The analyzingunit 130 analyzes the message information and the label informationreceived from the interface unit 122. Then, the analyzing unit 130performs a filter processing for determining whether or not to route themessage information. Details will be described later.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of routing processing performedby the semiconductor device 1 according to the first embodiment. In stepS12, the CAN controller 10 receives the message information 50 via theCAN bus 40 connected to the port 8 c of the plurality of ports 8 a to 8h of the channel interface 8. In the example shown in FIG. 4, thechannel interface 8 has eight ports 8 a to 8 h, but the number of portsis not limited to eight.

The CAN controller 10 distributes the message information 50 accordingto whether or not to transmit the message information in accordance withpredetermined reception rules. In step S14, the CAN controller 10 addsthe label information 52 to the message information 50. The filterprocessing performed by the CAN controller 10 is, for example, an IDfilter processing that uses an identifier (ID) of the messageinformation 50.

In step S16, the CAN controller 10 outputs the message information 50 towhich the label information 52 is added to the CAN driver 111 of the CANrouting software 100. In step S18, the CAN driver 111 outputs themessage information 50 received from the CAN controller 10 to theinterface unit 122 of the CAN interface 112. In step S20, the interfaceunit 122 extracts the label information 52 from the message information50. In step S22, the analyzing unit 130 analyses the label information52 and the message information 50 and performs a filter processing. Thefilter processing performed by the analyzing unit 130 is, for example, apayload filter processing that uses the payload of the messageinformation 50.

The analyzing unit 130 outputs the message information 50 determined tobe transferred by the filter processing to the PDU router 113. In stepS24, the PDU router 113 performs routing processing on the messageinformation 50 determined to be transferred. Specifically, the PDUrouter 113 transmits the message information 50 to the CAN bus 40 viathe CAN interface 112, the CAN driver 111, the microcontroller 2, andthe port 8 h. The CAN bus 40 connected to the port 8 h may be differentfrom the CAN bus 40 connected to the port 8 c.

Usually, when a function not specified in the AUTOSAR is implemented,the function is implemented as an application 115 in the applicationlayer 105. When processing is performed using the application 115, thedata to be processed passes through each layer between themicrocontroller 2 and the application layer 105, as indicated by thesolid arrow in FIG. 2. Therefore, when filtering for routing isperformed in a manner not specified in the AUTOSAR, the processing timemay be increased by using the application 115.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the CAN interface 112, whichis a component lower than the PDU router 113, performs a filterprocessing for routing. Therefore, routing can be performed in the PDUrouter 113 as indicated by the broken line arrow in FIG. 2. Therefore,since the number of layers through which data passes is small comparedwith the case where routing (filtering) is performed by the application115, it is possible to perform routing at high speed. Details will bedescribed later.

As described above, in the AUTOSAR standard, the layers higher than thePDU router 113 process the message information based on the CANprotocol. Therefore, in this case, when routing (filtering) is performedby the application 115, the label information 52 (additionalinformation) added to the message information 50 by the CAN controller10 of the microcontroller 2 cannot be used.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the filter processing unit120 is mounted on the CAN interface 112, which is a component lower thanthe PDU router 113. Therefore, the filter processing unit 120 can handlethe message information 50 before being processed in a layer higher thanthe PDU router 113. Therefore, as described above, the filter processingunit 120 can perform the filter processing using the label information52. Therefore, the filter processing unit 120 can simplify theprocessing as compared with the case of performing the routing(filtering) by the application 115, so that the routing can be performedat high speed. Details will be described later.

The semiconductor device 1 according to the first embodiment performs afilter processing on the message information 50 distributed by the CANcontroller 10. Therefore, the filtering performed by the CAN controller10 need not be performed by the CAN routing software 100. Therefore, itis possible to perform routing at high speed as compared with the casewhere all the filter processing is performed by software. Details willbe described later.

When processing other than the filter processing by the CAN routingsoftware 100 according to the present embodiment is performed, thesemiconductor device 1 according to the first embodiment can perform theprocessing using the application 115 as indicated by the solid-linearrow in FIG. 2. Therefore, in the semiconductor device 1 according tothe first embodiment, the high-speed filter processing can be achievedwhile the semiconductor device 1 conforms to the AUTOSAR standard.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing details of the filter processingfunction of the semiconductor device 1 according to the firstembodiment. Semiconductor device 1 comprises a microcontroller 2 that ishardware, a CAN interface 112 that is software, and an upper-layer 116(PDU router 113, etc.). The CAN driver 111 transmits and receives datato and from hardware. Upon receipt of the message information 50, theCAN controller 10 outputs (issues) the receive interrupt to the CPU 4.As a result, the CAN routing software 100 is started. The CAN controller10 includes a reception rule table 12, an identifier filtering unit 14,a label adding unit 16, a transmission/reception buffer 18, and areception buffer 20. The reception rule table 12 indicates apredetermined reception rule. The reception rule table 12 will bedescribed later with reference to FIG. 6.

The identifier filtering unit 14 performs filtering on the identifier(ID) of the message information 50 using the reception rule table 12.Specifically, the identifier filtering unit 14 determines whether or notthe identifier of the message information 50 (message ID) is appropriateusing the reception rule table 12. The label adding unit 16 adds labelinformation (additional information) 52 to the message information 50.At this time, the label adding unit 16 adds the label information 52 tothe message information 50 using the reception rule table 12. The labeladding unit 16 can easily add the label information 52 by using thereception rule table 12.

The transmission/reception buffer 18 and the reception buffer 20 are,for example, FIFO (First-In First Out) buffers. Thetransmission/reception buffer 18 (a first buffer) is a buffer capable oftransmitting and receiving data. The reception buffer 20 (a secondbuffer) is a buffer that can only receive data. Thetransmission/reception buffer 18 (the first buffer) may be a buffer atleast capable of transmitting data.

The identifier filtering unit 14 distributes the message information 50using the reception rule table 12. Specifically, the identifierfiltering unit 14 stores the message information 50 in thetransmission/reception buffer 18 or the reception buffer 20 with usingthe reception rule table 12. More specifically, the identifier filteringunit 14 stores message information 50 having an appropriate message IDin the transmission/reception buffer 18. On the other hand, theidentifier filtering unit 14 stores the message information 50 having aninappropriate message ID in the reception buffer 20.

The analyzing unit 130 of the CAN interface 112 (filter processing unit120) includes a payload filter table 132, a payload filter processingunit 134, an error message transmitting unit 136, and a messageforwarding unit 138. The payload filter table 132 is used for payloadfilter processing by the payload filter processing unit 134. The payloadfilter table 132 will be described later with reference to FIG. 7. Thefunctions of the other components will be described later.

FIG. 6 is a diagram exemplifying the reception rule table 12 accordingto the first embodiment. The reception rule table 12 associates themessage ID, an ID mask, a reception rule label (label information 52),and a storage destination buffer information. Each row of the receptionrule table 12 is referred to as reception rule information. That is, thereception rule information includes the ID mask corresponding to acertain message ID, the reception rule label, and storage destinationbuffer information. The reception rule table 12 includes a plurality ofpieces of reception rule information for each CAN channel. Theidentifier filtering unit 14 uses the reception rule table 12 by amethod described later.

Here, “H” at the lower right of the value of each item of the receptionrule table 12 indicates that the value is a hexadecimal number. In theexample of FIG. 6, the message ID and the ID mask are 11-bit data.Therefore, in the “7FF_(H)”, all bits of the 11-bit string are “1”. TheID of the message information 50 is also 11-bit data. The message IDindicates what information the corresponding message information 50relates to. For example, “100_(H)” may be the ID of the messageinformation 50 indicating the velocity of the vehicle, and “200_(H)” maybe the ID of the message information 50 indicating the residual quantityof fuel in the vehicle. The “300_(H)” may also be the ID of the messagedata 50 indicating that the brake has been depressed. Note that“000_(H)” in the last row indicates an inappropriate ID (unauthorizedID).

In the example of the CAN channel #1 in FIG. 6, identifiers other than“100_(H)”, “200_(H)” and “300_(H)” are set to “000_(H)” by a maskingprocess described later. In the example of the CAN channel #1 of FIG. 6,for example, the message ID “100_(H)” is associated with the ID mask“7FF_(H)”, the reception rule label “0100_(H)”, and the“transmission/reception buffer”. In the example of the CAN channel #1 ofFIG. 6, the message ID “000_(H)” is associated with the ID mask“000_(H)”, the reception rule label “01FF_(H)”, and the “receptionbuffer”.

The upper 8 bits of the reception rule label indicate the CAN channel onwhich the message information 50 of the corresponding message ID isreceived. That is, when the upper 8 bits of the reception rule label are“01_(H)”, the reception rule label indicates that the messageinformation 50 of the corresponding message ID has been received fromthe CAN channel #1. When the upper 8 bits of the reception rule labelare “02_(H)”, the reception rule label indicates that the messageinformation 50 of the corresponding message ID has been received fromthe CAN channel #2.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the payload filter table 132 accordingto the first embodiment. The payload filter table 132 associates “startoffset”, “size”, “expected value”, and “mask”. The analyzing unit 130stores a plurality of payload filter tables 132. Preferably, theanalyzing unit 130 stores a plurality of payload filter tables 132corresponding to a plurality of CAN channels, respectively. Each payloadfilter table 132 is associated with at least a portion of the receptionrule label. That is, since the upper 8 bits of the reception rule labelindicate the CAN channel, each payload filter table 132 is associatedwith the upper 8 bits of the reception rule label.

Here, each row of the payload filter table 132 is referred to as payloadfilter information. The payload filter information is associated with atleast a part of the reception rule label. That is, the payload filterinformation includes a “start offset”, “size”, “expected value”, and“mask” corresponding to at least a portion of a certain reception rulelabel added to the message information 50.

For example, the payload filter information 132 a corresponds to thelower 8 bits “00_(H)” of the reception rule label. The payload filterinformation 132 b corresponds to the lower 8 bits “01_(H)” of thereception rule label. The payload filter processing unit 134 uses thepayload filter table 132 by a method described later.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are flowcharts showing an information processingmethod performed by the semiconductor device 1 according to the firstembodiment. In other words, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 show a filtering methodfor routing the message information 50. First, in step S102, the CANcontroller 10 receives the message information 50.

Next, in step S104, the identifier filtering unit 14 of the CANcontroller 10 performs an ID filter processing using hardware on thereceived message information 50. Specifically, the identifier filteringunit 14 performs filtering on the identifier of the message information50 using the reception rule table 12. In step S106, the identifierfiltering unit 14 determines whether the identifier of the receivedmessage information 50 matches the reception rule. In other words, theidentifier filtering unit 14 determines whether or not the receivedmessage information 50 does not correspond to the last row (message ID“000_(H)”) of the reception rule table 12.

If the identifier matches the reception rule (YES in S106), the CANcontroller 10 determines that the identifier of the received messageinformation 50 is appropriate. At this time, the label adding unit 16 ofthe CAN controller 10 adds the corresponding reception rule label (labelinformation 52) to the message information 50 in the reception ruletable 12 (step S108). In step S110, the CAN controller 10 stores themessage information to which the reception rule label is added in thetransmission/reception buffer 18. When the message information 50 isstored in the transmission/reception buffer 18, in step S111, the CANcontroller 10 outputs a reception interrupt to the CPU 4 that notifiesthe completion of the reception of the message information 50.

On the other hand, if the identifier does not match the reception rule(NO in S106), the CAN controller 10 determines that the ID of thereceived message information 50 is inappropriate. At this time, thelabel adding unit 16 adds the corresponding reception rule label (labelinformation 52) to the message information 50 in the reception ruletable 12 (step S112). In step S114, the CAN controller 10 stores themessage information 50 to which the reception rule label is added in thereception buffer 20. In this way, the CAN controller 10 distributes themessage information 50 of the appropriate ID to thetransmission/reception buffer 18, and distributes the messageinformation 50 of the inappropriate ID to the reception buffer 20. Whenthe message information 50 is stored in the reception buffer 20, in stepS115, the CAN controller 10 outputs a reception interrupt to the CPU 4that notifies the completion of the reception of the message information50.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, a case where the message information 50is received from the CAN channel #1 will be described below. When themessage information 50 of the identifier “100_(H)” is received, theidentifier filtering unit 14 extracts the ID mask “7FF_(H)” from thereception rule table 12. Then, the identifier filtering unit 14 performsa masking process on the identifier “100_(H)” using the ID mask“7FF_(H)”. Here, in the present embodiment, the “mask processing” isprocessing in which the bit at the position corresponding to the bitposition of “0” of the ID mask is set to “0” in the bit string to bemasked, and the bit at the position corresponding to the bit position of“1” of the ID mask is left as it is.

Therefore, the result of performing the masking process on theidentifier “100_(H)” using the ID mask “7FF_(H)” is “100_(H)”.Therefore, the identifier filtering unit 14 determines that theidentifier “100_(H)” subjected to the masking process using the ID mask“7FF_(H)” matches the message ID “100_(H)” defined in the reception ruletable 12. Therefore, in the process of S106, the identifier filteringunit 14 determines that the ID of the received message information 50matches the reception rule. In S108, the label adding unit 16 adds thereception rule label “0100_(H)” corresponding to the message ID“100_(H)” in the reception rule table 12 to the message information 50.Then, in the process of S110, the CAN controller 10 stores the messageinformation 50 to which the reception rule label “0100_(H)” is added inthe transmission/reception buffer 18.

Similarly, when the message information 50 of the identifier “200_(H)”or “300_(H)” is received, the identifier filtering unit 14 performs amasking process for the identifier “200_(H)” or “300_(H)” using the IDmask “7FF_(H).” At this time, the masked result is “200_(H)” or“300_(H)”. Therefore, the identifier filtering unit 14 determines thatthe identifier subjected to the masking process using the ID mask“7FF_(H)” matches the message ID defined in the reception rule table 12.Therefore, in the process of S106, the identifier filtering unit 14determines that the ID of the received message information 50 matchesthe reception rule. In S108, the label adding unit 16 adds the receptionrule label “0101_(H)” to the message information 50 of the identifier“200_(H)”. The label adding unit 16 adds the reception rule label“01FF_(H)” to the message information 50 of the identifier “300_(H)”.Then, in the processing of S110, the CAN controller 10 stores themessage information 50 to which the reception rule label is added in thetransmission/reception buffer 18.

On the other hand, when the message information 50 having the identifierother than “100_(H)”, “200_(H) ^(”) and “300_(H) ^(”) (for example,“110_(H)”) is received, the identifier filtering unit 14 extracts the IDmask “000_(H)” from the reception rule table 12. The message IDs definedin the reception rule table 12 are processed in order from the head inthe reception rule table 12. Therefore, if the ID of the receivedmessage information 50 does not match any of “100_(H)”, “200_(H)” and“300_(H)” the reception rule at the end must be met.

Then, the identifier filtering unit 14 performs a masking process on theidentifier of the received message information 50 using the ID mask“000_(H)”. At this time, the masked result is “000_(H)”. Therefore, theidentifier filtering unit 14 determines that the identifier subjected tothe masking process using the ID mask “000_(H)” matches the message ID“000_(H)” defined in the reception rule table 12. Therefore, in theprocess of S106, the identifier filtering unit 14 determines that the IDof the received message information 50 does not match the receptionrule. In S112, the label adding unit 16 adds the reception rule label“01FF_(H)” corresponding to the message ID “000_(H)” in the receptionrule table 12 to the message information 50. Then, in the process ofS114, the CAN controller 10 stores the message information 50 to whichthe reception rule label “01FF_(H)” is added in the reception buffer 20.

As described above, the CAN controller 10 according to the firstembodiment distributes the message information 50 with using thereception rule table 12 stored in advance. Therefore, the ID filterprocessing can be performed at high speed. Further, the CAN controller10 according to the first embodiment adds a reception rule label to themessage information 50 with using the reception rule table 12.Therefore, the reception rule label can be easily added.

When a reception interrupt occurs due to the message information 50being stored in the transmission/reception buffer 18, the CAN routingsoftware 100 acquires the message information from thetransmission/reception buffer 18 in step S122. Specifically, theinterface unit 122 acquires the message information 50 from thetransmission/reception buffer 18 via the CAN driver 111. In step S124,the interface unit 122 extracts the reception rule label added to themessage information 50. The interface unit 122 outputs the extractedreception rule label and the message information 50 to the analyzingunit 130.

In steps S126 to S134, the analyzing unit 130 performs a filterprocessing by software using the reception rule label. In step S128, thepayload filter processing unit 134 of the analyzing unit 130 determineswhether or not at least apart of the reception rule label matchespredetermined data. Specifically, the payload filter processing unit 134determines whether or not the lower 8 bits of the reception rule labelcoincide with “FF_(H)”.

When the lower 8 bits of the reception rule label do not coincide withthe “FF_(H)” (NO in S126), the payload filter processing unit 134acquires the payload filter table 132 corresponding to the upper 8 bitswhich are at least a part of the reception rule label (S128). In stepS130, the payload filter processing unit 134 acquires payload filterinformation corresponding to the lower 8 bits, which are at least apartof the reception rule label, from the payload filter table 132 acquiredin step S128.

In step S132, the payload filter processing unit 134 performs payloadfilter processing with using the payload filter information acquired instep S130. In step S134, the payload filter processing unit 134determines whether there is any problem in the payload. Morespecifically, the payload filter processing unit 134 masks a data stringof the number of data indicated by “size” from a position offset fromthe start position of the payload by the number of data indicated by“start offset” with data indicated by “mask”. Then, the payload filterprocessing unit 134 determines that there is no problem in the payloadwhen the masked data value becomes the “expected value”. In the payload,the data of the portion to be compared with the expected value is aportion serving as an index for judging the validity of the payload.

When there is no problem in the payload, that is, when the messageinformation 50 is normal (YES in S134), the message forwarding unit 138outputs the message information 50 to the upper layer 116. As a result,transfer processing is performed by the upper layer 116 (PDU router 113)(step S136). On the other hand, when there is a problem in the payload,that is, when there is an abnormality in the message information 50 (NOin S134), the error message transmitting unit 136 transmits an errormessage (step S138).

For example, in the example of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, it is assumed that themessage information 50 having the ID “100_(H)” is received in the CANchannel #1. In this case, the reception rule label “0100_(H)” is addedto the message information 50. At this time, in the processing of S128,the payload filter processing unit 134 acquires the payload filter table132 (for example, the table of CAN channel #1 in FIG. 7) correspondingto the upper 8 bits “01_(H)” of the reception rule label “0100_(H)”. Inthe processing of S130, the payload filter processing unit 134 acquiresthe payload filter information 132 a corresponding to the lower 8 bits“00_(H)” of the reception rule label “0100_(H)”. In the payload filterinformation 132 a, the “start offset” is 2 bytes and the “size” is 3bytes. Also, “expected” is “EE0022” and “masks” is “FF00FF”.

In the above cases, it is assumed that the payload of the messageinformation 50 is “0011EE3322556677”. At this time, in the processing ofS132, the payload filter processing unit 134 masks the data “EE3322” for3 bytes from the position offset by the start offset “2 bytes” from thestart position of the payload with “FF00FF”. At this time, the result ofmasking “EE3322” with “FF00FF” is “EE0022” and coincides with theexpected value. Therefore, in S134, the payload filter processing unit134 determines that the payload is normal. In this case, in the processof S136, the message forwarding unit 138 (PDU router 113) performs thetransmission processing of the message information 50.

It is also assumed that the payload of the message information 50 is“0011ED3322556677”. At this time, in the processing of S132, the payloadfilter processing unit 134 masks the data “ED3322” for 3 bytes from theposition offset by the start offset “2 bytes” from the start position ofthe payload with “FF00FF”. At this time, the result of masking “ED3322”with “FF00FF” is “ED0022” and does not coincide with the expected value.Therefore, in S134, the payload filter processing unit 134 determinesthat the payload is not normal. In this case, in the process of S138,the error message transmitting unit 136 generates an error message andtransmits it to another ECU or the like.

On the other hand, when at least a part of the reception rule labelmatches the predetermined data, that is, when the lower 8 bits of thereception rule label matches the “FF_(H)” (NO in S126), the messageforwarding unit 138 outputs the message data 50 to the upper layer 116.Asa result, transfer processing is performed by the upper layer 116 (PDUrouter 113) (step S140). That is, in this case, the payload filterprocessing using the payload filter table 132 is not performed.

For example, in the example of FIG. 6, it is assumed that the messageinformation 50 having the ID “300_(H)” is received in the CAN channel#1. In this instance, the reception rule label “01FF_(H)” is added tothe message information 50. At this time, in the processing of S126,since the lower 8 bits of the reception rule label are “FF_(H)”, thepayload filter processing unit 134 does not perform the filterprocessing (S132) using the payload filter table 132. Then, the messageforwarding unit 138 (PDU router 113) performs transfer processing(S140). The reason why the filter processing that uses the payloadfilter table 132 is unnecessary is that a reception rule label whoselower 8 bits are “FF_(H)” is added to the ID of the message information50 whose content of the payload does not need to be checked. Forexample, an event such as “the brake is depressed” may indicate that theevent has occurred, and the content of the payload does not matter inthe control of the vehicle.

As described above, in step S128, the analyzing unit 130 according tothe first embodiment acquires the payload filter table 132 using theupper 8 bits of the reception rule label as an index. Further, in stepS130, the analyzing unit 130 according to the first embodiment acquirespayload filter information using the lower 8 bits of the reception rulelabel as an index. As a result, the time required for the searchprocessing of the payload filter information can be greatly reduced ascompared with the case where the reception rule label is not used.Therefore, in the first embodiment, the filter processing can beperformed while suppressing an increase in the processing time.

As described above, the CAN routing software 100 according to the firstembodiment transfers the message information 50 without performing thepayload filter processing using the payload filter table 132 when thelower 8 bits of the received rule-label coincide with the FF_(H). Thismakes it possible to reduce the processing time.

On the other hand, when a reception interrupt occurs due to the messageinformation 50 being stored in the reception buffer 20, the CAN routingsoftware 100 acquires the message information 50 from the receptionbuffer 20 in step S152. In this case, in step S154, the error messagetransmitting unit 136 of the analyzing unit 130 immediately generates anerror message and transmits the error message to another ECU.

As described above, by storing the illegal message information 50 in thereception buffer 20, the CAN routing software 100 can immediatelydetermine that the message information 50 is an error. Therefore, it isunnecessary for the CAN routing software 100 to determine the messageinformation 50 having an illegal ID. Therefore, since the CPU 4resources are suppressed from being consumed, the filter processing canbe performed at high speed. In addition, since the CAN routing software100 is configured to perform filter processing only on the messageinformation 50 stored in the transmission/reception buffer 18, theprocessing is simplified.

Comparative Example

Next, a comparative example with respect to the first embodiment will bedescribed. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a first comparativeexample. As shown in FIG. 10, in the first comparative example, a filterprocessing unit 190 is provided in the application 115 of theapplication layer 105. The filter processing unit 190 may perform thefilter processing as described above on the message information 50. Asdescribed above, the message information 50 passes through the CANdriver 111, the CAN interface 112, the PDU router 113, the communicationunit 114, and the RTE 104. Therefore, in the filter processing accordingto the first comparative example, the number of layers (components)through which the message information 50 passes is larger than that inthe first embodiment. Therefore, the processing time required for thefilter processing according to the comparative example may be increasedas compared with the first embodiment.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the CAN interface 112, whichis a component lower than the PDU router 113, performs a filterprocessing for routing. Therefore, the number of layers through whichdata passes is smaller than that in the case where routing (filtering)is performed by the filter processing unit 190 of the application 115 ofthe first comparative example. Therefore, in the first embodiment,routing can be performed at high speed.

As described above, in the first comparative example, the additionalinformation (reception rule label) added by the microcontroller 2 isdeleted in the layer higher than the PDU router 113. Therefore, thefilter processing unit 190 cannot perform the filter processing usingthe reception rule label.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, as described above, thefilter processing unit 120 is mounted on the CAN interface 112, which isa component lower than the PDU router 113. Therefore, the filterprocessing unit 120 can perform the filter processing by using the labelinformation 52, i.e., the reception rule label. Therefore, the filterprocessing unit 120 according to the first embodiment can simplify theprocessing as compared with the case where routing (filtering) isperformed by the filter processing unit 190 of the application 115.Therefore, in the method according to the first embodiment, routing canbe performed at high speed.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the second comparative example. FIG.11 is a flowchart showing an information processing method (transferprocessing method) according to the second comparative example. Thesecond comparative example is an example in which all processes such asthe filter processing and the payload filter processing based on the IDof the message information 50 are executed only by software withoutusing the CAN controller 10.

When microcontroller 2 receives message information 50 (step S202), CANcontroller 10 outputs a reception interrupt to the CPU 4. At this time,in step S204, the CAN routing software 100 performs an ID filterprocessing using the software. In this case, the CAN routing software100 stores a table indicating which message IDs are appropriate andwhich message IDs are inappropriate. Therefore, in step S206, the CANrouting software 100 searches this table to determine whether the ID ofthe message information 50 matches the reception rule. If the ID doesnot match the reception rule (NO in S206), the CAN routing software 100transmits an error message (step S208).

On the other hand, if the ID matches the reception rule (YES in S206),the CAN routing software 100 performs payload filter processing. Here,the CAN routing software 100 stores a payload filter table correspondingto FIG. 7. In the second comparative example, the reception rule labelis not added to the message information 50. Therefore, in step S210, theCAN routing software 100 searches the payload filter table correspondingto the ID of the message information 50 as a process corresponding tostep S128 of FIG. 9.

If the payload filter table does not exist (NO in step S212), the CANrouting software 100 transmits an error message (S208). On the otherhand, when the payload filter table exists (YES in S212), the CANrouting software 100 determines whether or not the filter processingusing the payload filter table is necessary as the process correspondingto S126 in FIG. 9 (step S214). When the filter processing using thepayload filter table is not necessary (NO in S214), the CAN routingsoftware 100 performs the transfer process of the message information 50in the same manner as the process in S140 (step S230).

On the other hand, when the filter processing using the payload filtertable is necessary (YES in S214), the CAN routing software 100 searchesthe payload filter table for the payload filter information as theprocess corresponding to the process in S130 (step S216). In step S218,the CAN routing software 100 performs payload filter processing in thesame manner as in step S132 using the retrieved payload filterinformation. When there is no problem in the payload (YES in step S220),the CAN routing software 100 performs a transfer process of the messageinformation 50 (step S222). On the other hand, when there is a problemin the payload (NO in S220), the CAN routing software 100 transmits anerror message (step S224).

Here, in the second comparative example, it is necessary to perform thesearch processing in the processing of S210, S214, and S216. As thenumber of data to be searched increases, both the processing load andthe processing speed tend to increase. Therefore, when the number ofdata to be searched increases due to the complexity of the in-vehiclenetwork, the search processing according to the second comparativeexample takes a huge amount of time.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment described above, the CANcontroller 10, which is hardware, is configured to add the receptionrule label to the message information 50. Therefore, payload filterinformation can be obtained immediately by using the received rule labelas an index. That is, in the first embodiment, it is unnecessary toperform the search processing in steps S210, S214, and S216. Therefore,in the first embodiment, the filter processing can be performed whilesuppressing an increase in the processing time. Especially, as thein-vehicle network becomes more complicated, the effect according to thefirst embodiment can be increased.

A Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment isdifferent from the first embodiment in that the semiconductor device 1(ECU) is connected to an in-vehicle network other than CAN. Otherconfigurations of the second embodiment are substantially the same asthose of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of the semiconductor device1 according to the second embodiment. The semiconductor device 1illustrated in FIG. 12 is connected to LIN (Local Interconnect Network)and Ethernet (Ethernet) (registered trademark) in addition to CAN. Thesemiconductor device 1 according to the second embodiment includes amicrocontroller 2 and routing software 200. In addition to the CANcontroller 10, the microcontroller 2 includes a LIN controller 202 andan Ethernet controller 204.

The LIN controller 202 is connected to the LIN. The LIN controller 202has substantially the same functions as the CAN controller 10 withrespect to the operation related to the LIN. The Ethernet controller 204is connected to the Ethernet. The Ethernet controller 204 hassubstantially the same functions as the CAN controller 10 with respectto the operation related to Ethernet.

Like the CAN routing software 100, the routing software 200 according tothe second embodiment includes a CAN driver 111, a CAN interface 112,and a PDU router 113. The routing software 200 according to the secondembodiment further includes a LIN driver 211, a LIN interface 212(LINIF), an Ethernet driver 221, and an Ethernet interface 222 (EthernetIF). The PDU router 113 can handle only the content of the messageinformation 50 by processing with the CAN interface 112, the LINinterface 212, and the Ethernet interface 222. That is, although the CANinterface 112, the LIN interface 212, and the Ethernet interface 222handle message information that conforms to the CAN, LIN, and Ethernetprotocols, respectively, the PDU router 113 can handle data that doesnot conform to these protocols.

The LIN driver 211 and the Ethernet driver 221 have substantially thesame functions as those of the CAN driver 111 with respect to operationsrelating to LIN and Ethernet, respectively. The LIN interface 212 andthe Ethernet interface 222 have substantially the same functions as theCAN interface 112 for LIN and Ethernet operations, respectively.

The CAN interface 112 includes a CAN filter processing unit 206 havingsubstantially the same configuration as the filter processing unit 120according to the first embodiment. The LIN interface 212 includes a LINfilter processing unit 216. The Ethernet interface 222 includes anEthernet filter processing unit 226. The LIN filter processing unit 216has an interface unit and an analyzing unit in the same manner as theCAN filter processing unit 206 (the filter processing unit 120), andperforms substantially the same processing as the CAN filter processingunit 206 for processing relating to LIN. Similarly, the Ethernet filterprocessing unit 226 has an interface unit and an analyzing unit as inthe case of the CAN filter processing unit 206 (filter processing unit120), and performs substantially the same processing as the CAN filterprocessing unit 206 for processing related to Ethernet.

Like the CAN controller 10, the LIN controller 202 and the Ethernetcontroller 204 implement hardware routing functions. That is, the LINcontroller 202 and the Ethernet controller 204 distribute the messageinformation 50 using the reception rule table. Further, the LINcontroller 202 and the Ethernet controller 204 add a reception rulelabel to the message information 50.

The LIN filter processing unit 216 and the Ethernet filter processingunit 226 perform a software-based filter processing similar to the CANfilter processing unit 206 (the filter processing unit 120).Specifically, the LIN filter processing unit 216 receives the messageinformation 50 to which the reception rule label is added via the LINdriver 211. The interface unit of the LIN filter processing unit 216extracts the reception rule label. Then, the analyzing unit of the LINfilter processing unit 216 performs filter processing using the payloadfilter table and the reception rule label. Thus, it is determinedwhether or not to transfer the message information 50 from the LIN.Similar processing is performed for the Ethernet filter processing unit226, and it is determined whether or not to transfer the messageinformation 50 from the Ethernet. In this manner, the semiconductordevice 1 according to the second embodiment can realize substantiallythe same effects as those of the first embodiment described above notonly for CAN but also for LIN and Ethernet.

The semiconductor device 1 according to the second embodiment can alsoperform routing across different networks, such as CAN to LIN and LIN toEthernet. When routing is performed from CAN to LIN, the CAN controller10 and the CAN filter processing unit 206 perform the above-describedfilter processing. When routing is performed from LIN to CAN, the LINcontroller 202 and the LIN filter processing unit 216 perform theabove-described filter processing.

In some cases, the maximum value of the message length that can betransferred is defined for each network. Therefore, when the maximumlength of the message that can be transferred in the transferdestination network is smaller than the maximum length of the messagethat can be transferred in the transfer source network, the filteringunit for the transfer source network can divide and transmit the messageaccording to the maximum length of the message in the transferdestination network. For example, in Ethernet, the maximum value may bedefined as 1000 bytes, whereas in CAN, the maximum value may be definedas 64 bytes. In this case, when the message information is transferredfrom the Ethernet to the CAN, the Ethernet filter processing unit 226divides the message so that the data length becomes 64 bytes at themaximum.

As described above, the semiconductor device 1 according to the secondembodiment can realize substantially the same effects as those of thefirst embodiment described above not only for CAN but also for LIN andEthernet. Further, even when message information is transferred betweendifferent networks, the semiconductor device 1 according to the secondembodiment does not need to perform the filter processing in theapplication layer 105, as in the first embodiment. Therefore, in thesecond embodiment, even when message information is transferred betweendifferent networks, routing can be performed at high speed. In otherwords, even when message information is transferred between differentnetworks, filtering can be performed while suppressing an increase inprocessing time.

The present embodiment is not limited to the above embodiment, and canbe modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit. Forexample, in the flowchart according to the above embodiment, the orderof each process can be changed as appropriate. For example, in FIG. 9,the process of S126 may be performed after the process of S128 or afterthe process of S130.

Part of the processing performed by the constituent elements describedin the above embodiment may be performed by another constituent element.For example, the process of S128 in FIG. 9 may be performed by theinterface unit 122 instead of the analyzing unit 130. The processing ofthe error message transmitting unit 136 and the message forwarding unit138 may be performed by the payload filter processing unit 134.

Further, the processing shown in FIG. 8 may be performed by the CANrouting software 100 instead of the CAN controller 10. However, asdescribed above with reference to FIG. 11, the processing shown in FIG.8 is performed by the CAN controller 10, which is hardware, so that thefilter processing can be performed while further suppressing an increasein processing time.

Also, the programs described above may be stored and provided to acomputer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media.Non-transitory computer readable media includes various types oftangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer readablemedia include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetictapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g.,magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory) CD-R, CD-R/W,semiconductor memories (e.g., masked ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM(Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (Random Access Memory). The program mayalso be supplied to the computer by various types of transitorycomputer-readable media. Examples of transitory computer-readable mediainclude electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves.The transitory computer readable medium may provide the program to thecomputer via wired or wireless communication paths, such as electricalwires and optical fibers.

Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as thefollowing appendix, but are not limited to the following. (Appendix 1) Aprogram for causing a computer to execute comprising: an extracting stepthat extracts additional information added to message informationreceived from an in-vehicle network, and a performing step that performsa filter processing for determining whether or not to route the messageinformation using the additional information. (Appendix 2) The programaccording to Appendix 1, wherein the performing step that performs thefilter processing uses payload filter information acquired with usingthe additional information to filter the payload of the messageinformation. (Appendix 3) The program according to Appendix 2, whereinthe performing step that performs the filter processing uses a payloadfilter table associated with at least a portion of the additionalinformation to perform the filter processing for the payload. (Appendix4) The program according to Appendix 3, wherein the performing step thatperforms the filter processing uses payload filter informationassociated with at least a portion of the additional information in thepayload filter table to filter the payload.

Although the invention made by the inventor has been specificallydescribed based on the embodiment, the present invention is not limitedto the embodiment already described, and it is needless to say thatvarious modifications can be made without departing from the gistthereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device comprising: a storagecircuit for storing software; at least one processing circuit forexecuting the software; and a controller configured to add additionalinformation to message information received from an in-vehicle network,wherein the software includes a filtering function for performing afilter processing for determining whether or not to route the messageinformation output from the controller by using the additionalinformation.
 2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, whereinthe filtering function of the software performs filtering on a payloadof the message information with using payload filter informationacquired with using the additional information.
 3. The semiconductordevice according to claim 2, wherein the filtering function of thesoftware performs filtering on the payload with using a payload filtertable associated with at least a part of the additional information. 4.The semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the filteringfunction of the software performs filtering on the payload with usingpayload filter information associated with at least a part of theadditional information in the payload filter table.
 5. The semiconductordevice according to claim 3, wherein the filtering function of thesoftware performs the transfer processing of the message informationwithout performing the filter processing using the payload filterinformation when at least a part of the additional information matchespredetermined data.
 6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,wherein the controller distributes the message information according toa predetermined reception rule.
 7. The semiconductor device according toclaim 6, wherein the controller performs the filter processing on theidentifier of the message information with using a reception rule tableindicating the reception rule.
 8. The semiconductor device according toclaim 7, wherein the controller adds the additional information usingthe reception rule table.
 9. The semiconductor device according to claim6, wherein the controller stores the message information that matchesthe reception rule in at least a first buffer capable of transmittingdata, and wherein the filtering function of the software performsfiltering on the payload of the message information stored in the firstbuffer.
 10. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein thecontroller stores the message information that does not conform to thereception rule in a second buffer capable of only receiving data, andwherein the filtering function of the software transmits an errormessage with respect to the message information stored in the secondbuffer without performing filtering by the software.
 11. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the filteringfunction performs filtering in a layer that abstracts hardwarecomponents of the semiconductor device.
 12. A semiconductor devicecomprising: a storage circuit for storing software; at least oneprocessing circuit for executing the software; and a controllerconfigured to add additional information to message information receivedfrom an in-vehicle network; wherein the software includes: anapplication for executing processing independent of a microcontrollerconfiguring the semiconductor device; and basic software for making theapplication independent of the microcontroller; wherein the basicsoftware implements a filtering function for performing filterprocessing for determining whether to route the message informationoutput from the controller with using the additional information in anetwork interface for enabling use of a protocol defining the in-vehiclenetwork provided in a layer for abstracting hardware of thesemiconductor device.
 13. An information processing method comprising:adding additional information to message information received from anin-vehicle network; and using the additional information, performing afilter processing for determining whether or not to route the messageinformation.
 14. The information processing method according to claim13, wherein the payload of the message information is filtered withusing the payload filter information acquired with using the additionalinformation.
 15. The information processing method according to claim14, wherein the payload is filtered using a payload filter tableassociated with at least a part of the additional information.
 16. Theinformation processing method according to claim 15, wherein the payloadfilter information associated with at least a part of the additionalinformation in the payload filter table is used to perform filterprocessing on the payload.
 17. The information processing methodaccording to claim 13, wherein the message information is distributedaccording to a predetermined reception rule.
 18. The informationprocessing method according to claim 17, wherein filtering is performedon an identifier of the message information with using a reception ruletable indicating the reception rule.
 19. The information processingmethod according to claim 17, wherein the addition of the additionalinformation and the distribution of the message information are realizedby hardware, and the filter processing using the additional informationis realized by software.